Russia carried out fresh air strikes across Ukraine early Sunday, hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had a "very constructive" call with members of Donald Trump's negotiating team following three days of peace talks in Florida. Kremenchuk Mayor Vitaliy Maletsky said the central industrial city was hit repeatedly in a "massive combined strike" targeting infrastructure. Water, electricity and heat were cut off for some residents, and damage assessments were ongoing. No deaths had been confirmed as of Sunday morning. Located roughly halfway between Kyiv and the eastern front line, Kremenchuk has faced repeated attacks since 2022. Russia's defense ministry claimed it shot down 77 Ukrainian drones across multiple regions overnight. The aerial assaults continued even as US-led efforts to negotiate a potential settlement have intensified. Zelensky said he and Ukraine's negotiators discussed with Trump envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner how to ensure Russia adheres to any future agreement. "Ukraine is determined to keep working in good faith with the American side to genuinely achieve peace," he wrote on X. The White House has pushed Ukraine and Russia to engage with a multi-point plan aimed at ending the war, though no breakthrough has emerged despite detailed talks in Miami and separate U.S. discussions with Russia. The overnight strikes followed a broader Russian barrage one day earlier that drew condemnation from European leaders. French President Emmanuel Macron said he spoke with Zelensky and offered "full solidarity," reiterating France's support for securing de-escalation measures and imposing a ceasefire. Macron, Zelensky, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz are expected to meet in London on Monday to discuss the US-backed process and Europe's own proposals for post-war security guarantees. European officials have pushed for a stronger security framework, including a potential peacekeeping force — an idea Starmer has championed as "vital" to deterring a future Russian attack. Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected the proposal, calling any foreign troops in Ukraine "legitimate targets." In a joint statement Saturday, Witkoff and Rustem Umerov, Zelensky's recently appointed chief negotiator, said they had "agreed on the framework of security arrangements" and discussed "necessary deterrence capabilities to sustain a lasting peace," while urging Russia to show a "serious commitment to long-term peace." Their comments came days after Witkoff returned from talks at the Kremlin that yielded no breakthrough. — Agencies
